Imo govt denies owing workers 11 months'
salary arrears

Owerri - The Imo government has denied owing
its workforce 11 months’ salary arrears.
A statement from the Chief Press Secretary to
the Governor, Mr Sam Onwuemeodo, on Tuesday
in Owerri said that the denial followed reports in
some national dailies that the government was
owing its workers 11 months’ salary arrears.
"The Imo State Government only owes its civil
servants May salary and the payment for that
month is at the verge of being made.
"We have decided to make this factual claim on
the salaries of the civil servants and teachers in
the state so that those behind the report can
come out with their own facts to back their
claim,” he said.
Onwuemeodo noted that the government had
also lived up to expectations with regards to the
payment of the salaries of workers in the
parastatal agencies of the state.
He said that parastatal agencies had been paid
except those that were discovered with
“irritating padding of salaries for non-existing
staff and where high-profile corruption was
uncovered’’ by a verification panel

Onwuemeodo said the government would only
pay those in the affected parastatal agencies
when the issues in question had been rectified.
He challenged those behind the report to come
up with their facts to controvert the position of
the government.
"So, it is left for those behind the report with
some of them quoting their source to come out
and fault our claims or rebuttal.
"We would like to be faulted on our claim that
we owe civil servants only May salary and the
same goes with the teachers.
"The government of Imo with Gov. Rochas
Okorocha on the driver’s seat shall continue to
be truthful and honest about its claims and
counter-claims on issues for the sake of history
and posterity,” he said.
Onwuemeodo described the report as
unfortunate and a deliberate effort to hit at the
rescue mission government in the state.